


the king of all the games we play

by MercuryGray



Category: Mercy Street (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Baseball, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23973427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MercuryGray/pseuds/MercuryGray
Summary: Ah, the highlight of the Camp Green Wood summer season - the Boys vs Girls Softball game. It's the bottom of the ninth, the bases are loaded, the Girls team have just chalked up an out, and not too much is expected from the next batter. What on earth does Anne Hastings know about softball, anyway?
Comments: 5
Kudos: 6
Collections: Mercy Street Summer Camp AU





	the king of all the games we play

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Tales from Camp Green Wood](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23789506) by [BroadwayBaggins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BroadwayBaggins/pseuds/BroadwayBaggins). 



> The game of baseball is the king  
> Of all the games we play  
> And it is one pursuit that is  
> Distinctly U.S.A.
> 
> \- James Metcalfe, Baseball

It was the bottom of the ninth, the bases were loaded, and the Camp Green Wood Girls Softball team had just chalked up an out.

“Good job, Isabella, nice try, we’ll catch ‘em,” Mary said, trying to maintain a positive outlook as the erstwhile team coach. “Jesus, it’s not the world series here, what does he want?”

“Complete and total domination,” Emma said sadly from her spot on the fence next to Mary, surveying the softball field with a sigh. It was only through sheer grit that they’d clawed their way to only being down three runs - and then the boys had decided to have Jimmy fake some kind of shoulder injury so they could bring Frank back as a pitcher in the middle of the inning, just to finish them off. “The boys have won the annual softball game since forever. And Frank just hates losing on principle.”

“By three runs? Come on. Give us something to hit so we can at least save our dignity here.”

“Frank doesn’t believe in other people’s dignity,” Emma replied flatly. “He’s more of a 'Sherman’s March to the Sea’ kind of a guy.”

Civil war history references were not really Mary’s strong suit. “Force-march with lots of blisters?”

“Burn it all to the ground.”

Mary looked at the scoreboard and the 'take no prisoners’ look on Frank’s face, and tried not to look too damaged as she considered the state of her batting order and rouse what little team spirit she still had remaining after a brutal afternoon, wondering when it was acceptable to start drinking. “Come on, Anne!”

Frank looked like he was going to enjoy this particular humiliation, and ground his baseball cleat into the pitcher’s mouth with particular relish as Anne squared up to the plate, adjusting her grip on the baseball bat and pausing, for a moment, to set her bat down and adjust her ponytail to requisite perkiness.

“C'mon, Stringfellow, strike her out!”  
“They don’t even play baseball in England!”  
“Finish her, Frank!

Hair ready, Anne resumed her stance and Frank let fly - swish. "Strike one!”

The boys were eating it up, getting rowdier from the dugout as the possibility of striking out a batter with the bases loaded - and thus winning the game with truly humiliating show - began to materialize in front of them. “C'mon, Anne,” Charlotte roared from second base. “Don’t listen to them, you got this!”

Anne squared up again and looked Frank straight in the eye. Wind up, release - swish. “Strike two!”

The boys’ dugout was practically manic, while the girls, from their side, tried to drown it out with various platitudes about girl power and (this from Alice, currently on third base) Frank’s ability to follow through.

Out came the ball, and - THWACK. Anne drilled it deep into left field, the softball flying so hard and fast it should have been considered into the out-forest rather than the out field, Kendrick stumbling over his shoes trying to track it as it sailed up, up over the trees and out of sight, one absolutely, stunningly picture-perfect home run.

The crowd went nuts.

Anne touched two fingers to her baseball cap in mock salute to a very deflated looking Frank as she did her victory lap while the rest of the girls jumped and screamed for joy as their runners came in, Charlotte pounding the rest of the bases like she’d just won the World Series and then jumping on Anne’s shoulders as she came back to home plate. “Where _the fuck_ were you keeping that one, Hastings?”

“Pocket of my cricket whites,” Anne replied with a smile, as the mob overwhelmed them. “Now, what’s a girl got to do to get a drink around here?”

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to @broadwaybaggins for letting me play in her sandbox with her toys - she's also responsible for the prompt, which was to show Anne Hastings with a hidden talent.


End file.
